The wave action on a large body of water has always attracted man's attention, perhaps because of the incessant nature of the waves. As waves strike land, the pounding surf is a reminder of the enormous energy which is carried in the wave motion of the water. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, men have observed and felt that energy, and have tried to devise an effective apparatus to harness this seemingly tireless source of power.
A major stumbling block in utilizing wave energy as a power source is the fickle nature of waves in general: The tidal flow continually changes the average height of the sea, and wave height and length constantly change to add to the variation. High winds and storms appear occasionally, and their destructive forces exerted on any large mechanical structure are difficult to withstand for any length of time. Also, the marine environment itself, including the salt water, the salt air, blowing sand from beach areas, is extremely hostile to mechanical components.
The prior art in wave energy recovery machines is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,683,884 and 4,454,429. The former uses a floating pipeline to support floats which pump a fluid through several pumps in series, while the latter employs a fixed installation in which wave action operates a float on a lever arm, and the arm operates a piston pump. Both devices lack means for compensating for changes in wave length and direction of wave propagation, and thus could not form the basis for a realistic wave energy engine.